


Psycho Break - Monsters in the Academy

by RoyalDarlingPrincess



Category: The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Psychobreak, TEW - Freeform, Videogames, the evil within - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2018-09-01 23:49:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8642983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoyalDarlingPrincess/pseuds/RoyalDarlingPrincess
Summary: Sebastian Castellanos and Juli Kidman meet while investigating Reuben Victoriano's lab hidden in Krimson Academy. There they find horrors of the worst kind, and barely survive the night.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this story after watching Teen Wolf, and I thought this might be a good story.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juli is caught by Sebastian while she is investigating the laboratory of student Ruben Victariano.

Chapter 1

Pressing herself against the wall, she cranes her neck around the corner, her ears alert for the scrape sound of footsteps. The hallway is clear, so swiftly she moves across the slippery floor and her body crouches behind the water fountain at the center of the hall. Silence was deafening, a stillness that is only broken by the incessant imaginary voices of reprimand that feed her fear.

There would be consequences if she was caught, and that fear begins leeching into her veins, cold and rampant. It encourages her to be calm and overtly cautious. Once she is positive the air is still, she moves forward, her heart hammering in her chest which she ignores in favor of focusing on the mission. “I hope I don't get caught,” she repeats for what seems like the 15th time this evening.

Running a few more corners, the door of the laboratory is in sight. Relief trickles into her body and she feels some of the pressure lifted. She made it this far. A hand grabs the handle of the door and tugs at it, of course, it does not open. Gaze fly to both sides of the large shadowed hallways before fingers reach into her pocket to pull out a duplicate key.

The torch in her hand temporarily lit up the key hole for her to insert it in. Suddenly, a flood of dread hits her; she fears it will not work. ‘Maybe they are setting her up for failure.. what if they want an excuse to kick her out of the club.’ These thoughts turn in her head causing knots to twist in her stomach. ‘No’ she tells herself, ‘They have accepted me.. they promised me a good future, I can’t betray their trust.’

Breathing in the musky smell of the school that has a faint trace of bleach, the key is shoved into the lock and turned. Her heart leaps as the lock releases. Instantly, she slips inside the gaping room and shivers -the temperature is lower compared to the outside, and her skin prickles due to the effect. ‘What kind of weirdo needs the science lab to be this cold? Maybe Reuben is a freak.’

The circular light from the torch moves across the room, allowing her to view the pile of books and papers, some machines in the corner, all mundane things until - a human face. A scream nearly tears from her throat, but lips clamp down on the sound. Moving closer, the torch light illuminates the strange shape of a life-like human head whose exposed brain was sectioned into various parts and labeled.

Sharp pins were stuck into its fleshy parts, parts tainted a thick red liquid that oozes out from the holes, dyeing the areas a sickly red. ‘What kind of twisted science project is this thing?’ Flinching away at the morbid creation, ‘the brain is designed to look so realistic, it is fucking creepy.’

‘He surely couldn't have bought a live brain here, the teachers would’ve complained, and all the other students would scream. Ruben has been known to be hostile towards both but he wouldn’t risk expulsion.’ From the darker part of her imagination, a facile outline of the quiet lad takes shape, and she sees his creepy eyes and his downturned mouth, framed forever in a sneer. A small window reveals just barely above the surface of his sharp blue eyes a glimpse of his hatred for the world. And here she was, an average student in his twisted lair, snooping around.

  
‘He couldn't really do anything to me, could he?’ There was this horrible rumor around school that after the University marching band angered him - they disappeared. He was somehow responsible for their deaths according to the whispers. He muttered about it incessantly, and cackled in the shadows every time someone mentioned it. No one really knew the fate of the band, where they disappeared off to, but the idea that Reuben could be responsible- was plausible, but it was most likely a rumor.

Pushing those thoughts from her mind, clearing them as fast as she can, whatever feelings of dread she feels at this illegal exploration of the lab. She begins her duty in earnest. Under the light, the lab looks relatively normal, but on closer inspection, the cracks in the psyche were revealed and had inundated his work space. That was rough drafts with hasty scribbles for issued homework from his classes and projects made from clay and dioramas of construction paper, but somehow he managed to etch his true feelings onto the papers and materials.

‘The University is for idiots’, ‘there is no one of value here’, and ‘All the people here are worthless.’ ‘They each deserve to die’, ‘Their ignorance, and their failure to see their own pathetic self-worth.’ ‘They are pitiful self-serving sheep’, ‘how weak they are trying to find their purpose,’ All of it was scribbled on research papers, a few writings on the side of a caved in model, and even a balled up discarded paper contained a few of his insidious musings.

The torch light drops to the floor and moves across another pile, her eyes track it thoughtfully. This is getting tedious, picking up pieces of scraps and trying to find some answers. It was a waste of time. Shining the torch around, the glare caught the reflective surface of a mirror. Good, she could use that mirror to cover the window and that cardboard boxes to shield the edges to prevent any light from escaping. Once the lights were switched on, she could view every part of the room more clearly.

The lab resembles other labs in the University inhabited by normal students, down to the bookcase stuffed with books in the corner and mathematical drawings on the board. But there was something off, so she checked his library collection, curious if she would perchance upon more angry scribbling. Instead, shock seized her face on finding red prints. ‘Was that blood?” she speaks out loud, a quake in her voice. Scientific books, psychology and other hardbound covers all related to his field of interest except for the few books pushed into the lower corner. ‘Why would a scientist have books about Shakespeare in his possession?’

He wasn't in any English class - and a sudden thought occurred to her, he had a dislike for this particular famous writer. It was during the university show of Macbeth. The actors were amplifying their lines with a clownish zeal, exercising every little rise and fall in the Victorian language. They echoed exuberantly the exaggeration accompanied most plays set in Victorian England by lesser artists. It had gotten so bad that many of the attendees visibly showed their frustration. Only Reuben had gotten to his feet and shrieked in the voice high with derision. “How much longer are we to be subjected to this butchery of English language?” His lips drawn downwards sharply in a vicious line, a perpetual scowl that was ugly and vicious.

Clearly, he harbored no love Shakespeare, but why keep his work around, for what purpose. She reaches down and picks up one of the books as icy terror washes over her. The lower part of the book is drenched in blood. It looks fresh. A trace with her fingers left a dark wet stain on her prints. ‘Why was there blood here? Asks herself shakily, suddenly frightened of the meaning behind this discovery, ‘what was he doing?’.

After wiping her fingers off on her jeans, she flips through the clean pages, searching for some answers. Nothing contained in this book, nothing out of the ordinary. The remaining ones didn’t have this level of smearing.

If you were Reuben, what would you do? And you wanted to hide an amazing invention or your greatest ideas. A sudden thought hit her - quickly the books were removed from the bookcase. Viola! A password keypad was displayed, hidden under the stack of books. Now to enter the password. Eyes are drawn to the blood staining the back of Macbeth. ‘How fitting!’ Flipping it open, she scans the first couple of pages, until she lands on one with ink that appears recent. Lightly, she touches the highlighted sentences with a finger. For some inexplicable reason, she decided to count the words and add it, the answer giving her, 7-3-4-7-5. Without wasting a second, fingers nimbly press the keys, hands clammy and beads of sweat gather on her forehead.

The longer she stays, the chances of getting caught increase- jeopardizing her future. Finally, the code is entered, and a whir of machinery followed by a creak resounds in the narrow space. Then, the bookcase moves to the side revealing a dark entryway. Staring at the open passageway in shock for a moment, which was soon followed by a flush of pride. ‘She did it!’ She unlocked Reuben’s secret lair and now, the discovery of his amazing science project was close at hand. The message would be relayed to the club president and the award would be theirs. Standing at the entrance, staring down the pitch black path, her heart pounding in her ears, the question rises if it was all worth it, and a lump sticks in her throat.

Reuben was not normal, that was certain. .A sudden noise causes her to jump back. No, it was a voice. Turning her head to the source, she caught the deep brown eyes of a boy, a little older than her, in a hostile stance at the open lab door. “What are you doing here?” He demands, eyes narrow suspiciously. “I-am-I am doing a favor for Reuben.” She sputters, thinking quickly, ‘dammit’. She hadn’t even heard him come into the room.

Studying his features, she recognizes that boy as the senator’s son and the prefect for the boys’ dorm. ‘What was his name?’  She wonders.  "So Reuben told you to come here in the middle of the night and check out his lab?” There was clear doubt in his eyes and his expression was edged with distrust.  
“Yes,” Came the quick reply, as her eyes shift sideways to the open door, “I just have to check downstairs-“  
“Wait, is that blood!”  
He is beside her in two quick strides, picking up the book she had discarded on the table. Confusion colors his hard gaze that swung from the book to the dark tunnel before settling on her in a probing glare. Panic and fear hits her chest, and thickens in her throat, but she doesn’t allow the feelings to leak into her calm façade.

“What are you doing here? And where do those stairs lead?” He presses her tersely, his stare examining every twitch on her countenance. “It is just a secondary lab for Reuben’s secret projects. The ones he wants to hide from the teachers.” Attempting to casually pass it off as a logical response of a genius wishing to keep his projects secret, and not the insane creation born out of paranoid delusions.

The boy didn't seem to be convinced; he continues his silent evaluation of her, gauging her own reactions as his eyes surreptitiously dart across the room. In her opinion, she think she does a good job of acting innocent, very effective from her big brown eyes to a coquettish curve dancing on her lips.  
“I don't believe you!” snaps tersely, eyes growing harder, and she detects an undercurrent of anger with an authoritative edge, “I’m Sebastian Castellanos, prefect of the University and I would appreciate if you would stop lying to me.”

“Why are you really here?” He repeats his question, arms folded across his broad chest. “None of your business,” Giving voice to the agitation at his prying questions, an angry scowl twisting on her face. She was done being nice.

  
“You seem tense-“A cold sharpness in his eyes, “ Who are you? An underclassmen.” Lips condensing into a thin line before giving him an icy glare. “I think I know you from somewhere?” Suddenly proclaims, studying her face.

  
“Great , so you don't need to ask anymore stupid questions.” Retorts apathetically, gestures to the door with her head, “Can I go now? Reuben is expecting me soon.” Nervousness forces jitters down her legs, and she has to apply pressure on one leg to calm maintain some semblance of balance. “I’ve told you, I work for Reuben.”

  
“Reuben works alone!” Was the snappish reply, his eyes still lowered and focused on the clicking on his cellphone. “What are you doing?” She asks, “Don’t you think you are taking your duties too seriously, especially after midnight.” Her voice sounds chiding; hopefully, she could defuse the whole situation..and leave quickly. “Wait a second,” he said, a pause, he holds up the phone for her inspection, “You’re Julie the KKK Kidman, right?”

A dark color shadows her face, eyes narrow into slits. She hated that nickname, from those unimaginative jerks from her old class.

“Now, I remember you! You are that girl whose parents were in the KKK and you had sex with the entire hockey team.”

A grunt in mild anger passes her lips, ‘who cares what he thought of her’. “Yes,” Says tightly, refusing to look away, accepting the mocking glimmer in his stare. “Are you sleeping with Reuben? Is that why you are here?” He prods; the smirk softening his harsh lips probably reflected all the pornos going through his head.

 “Yes, you caught me Detective!” The tone heavy with sarcasm and her hands tighten beside her legs, “Now excuse me, I have to go to our love nest.” Despite her misgivings and overlooking the fear stroking her spine, she pushes past him to step into the darkness below. ‘Damn, I hate kids like him.’

“Hey, be careful, it looks dangerous down there!” Fingers wrap around her arm and halt her progress on the first step. Something about the room -was wrong. His nose wrinkles as a strange stench assaults his nose, the air down there is colder and pungent with a weird smell he couldn’t quite place.

 “I’m Sebastian Castellanos,” He sounds calmer, the lines of his expression relax, as if he decided that it was not worth upsetting her, “ I’m sorry if I offended you. You’re still a lady, so should probably be treated you like one!” Echoing his mother’s words, while looking as apologetic as possible.

“It’s fine!” she visibly relaxes, a small smile lifts her lips. “So Julie,” He said, serious while maintaining steady eye contact, his hand loosening into a comforting grip, “Where are you going? And why do you have a stack of bloody books and -”

The smile never leaves her lips, “I don’t think that is any of your business, Sebastian,” Said in the politest tone she could manage, that was also stilted.

“Yes. It’s my business-” Narrowing his eyes, tension rippling through his form, and he his expression grows harder when he notices her dubious look.

“There is something very fucking wrong here- I can feel it in my gut, and I would like you to tell me what the hell you are doing here working ..at midnight.. in a secret lab.” He moves closer to her, and her stomach lurches as she feels herself being swallowed by the stormy blue irises of his eyes.

For a brief second, frustration crosses his face as he views the set of stubborn scrunch of her face. “Are you and Ruben doing drugs or having sex parties in there? Why the secrets? Answer me.” He demands gruffly, leaning towards her and his blue eyes flicker irately. Fear streaks through her as images of terrible repercussions rush through her mind.

“Do I look like the type to be interested in sex parties?” Arching her brow, the coldness in her tone bordered on chilly. Sebastian rubs the back of his head, “Look kiddo,” Refusing to relent from his interrogation, “I just want a simple answer. If you can't give me that then I am going to have to call the teacher at this time.” His temper flaring and visible in his hard stare.

Now it was Juli’s turn to let out a frustrated growl. It did well to hide the panic that the interrogator was stirring within her, she wants to avoid trouble.  
“It is not so hard to tell the truth as long as it not so serious. I can be understanding.” Taken on a more conciliatory edge in a softer voice; clearly, he is changing tactics to appear friendly. He caught the severe glimmer of distrust, and open hostility, and was surprised that someone could immediately appear so guarded and fierce. ‘What was she trying to hide?’ He wonders.

The corners of her eyes smooth out when she realizes that she appears maybe a little violent, so she visibly forces herself to relax in order to avoid raising his suspicion anymore, because his glower is probing and studying her like hawk.  
When she feels confidence sear though her body, she decides to lie in earnest, “Well.. you see-“  
“Who is in there?”

Both of them froze, and their eyes met in equal measures of fear and dismay, recognizing the voice of the janitor. Juli’s reflexes, swift and strong from days playing soccer, come in handy as she snatches Sebastian's hand and drags him into the darkness. The door shuts behind them automatically, and together, their breaths mingle in the biting cold air. “Why did you do that?” Sebastian hisses between pursed lips, angry. Julie shushes him, tightening her grip on his arm.

He might have muttered something under his breath, Julie could barely catch the words but it was definitely bitchy and annoyed. They wait on bated breath for any sounds and relief floods their bodies when they couldn't hear anything anymore. “He probably just left,” Sebastian whispers.

Julie drops his warm hand that was slightly a little coarser than she was used to. “Wait, I have a flashlight on my belt.”

She flips the switch and light floods the entire corridor. It was surprisingly spacious, and they could recognize that they were standing in a well-constructed tunnel with smooth walls and shiny steps. “Looks like someone build this!” Sebastian mutters, moving his head around the building to take in the odd structure, “I doubt the school would allow Reuben to build a secret room.” “Unless it was already built-” Julie ventures a guess, “And Reuben just made some improvements.” Shinning the torch around the walls and ceiling, studying its rough stone structure.

“Seems more likely..” Sebastian agrees in a low whisper, then she flinches as he directs a question to her abruptly, a tone made harsher in the narrow space. “And how did you find about this?” His eyes on her made her skin crawl. “I don't think you have been here before.”

“Why would you say that?” attempting to sound casual but the fear is there bubbling below her surface. “Because you don't even know about the light switch is!” He sounds almost triumphant and the way he is self-assured makes a smile flash on his face. He is relatively clueless about this place, and he figures if she is too, then she has uttered nothing but lies, and there was no way to trust her. His fingers wrap around her wrist, causing a light shock to pinch her skin as Sebastian gently maneuvers her hand to push the light switch on the wall.

The corridor is bathed in a pale yellow light, and Julie feels her breathing return to a steady pace. She watches Sebastian from the corner of eyes, awaiting his next hasty action and thoughtless word, or another session where he attempts to play detective with no more than his Prefect badge that expires when University closes. Rather this time, his attention is focused down the long hallway that leads to another door a short distance away.

“What does Ruben keeping down there anyway?” He wonders out loud, his forehead furrows in curiosity, “What would he need for a bat cave?”

  
“Do you want to find out – or would you rather play the detective by your lonesome up here?” She asks daringly, a challenge issued in her posture and features. Even in the dim brightness, he could appreciate for a brief second the brilliant sparkle in her eyes. He ignores the sudden rise of interest in the girl. Sure, he caught the rumors, knew about a sordid reputation through empty chatter shared by bored students, but meeting her now, he wasn’t sure she was a capricious fool the rumors made her out to be.

“We have no right to be here..” Recalling school rules, as he was the prefect and had to maintain a standard.  “So the school rules deal with hidden doors and secret rooms, do they?” She retorts, and he can detect a hint of biting sarcasm, a hint of a sardonic lilt.

“No, this is Reuben’s private lab and we don't really want to intrude.” He tries to reason with her, and maybe convince himself that standing here was a bad idea though a nagging whisper screams at him to investigate. ‘Stay out of trouble! Sebastian” His father's voice barks in his ear, warning him of repercussions.

  
Sebastian only caught a glimpse of Reuben as a witness to an argument. He was waiting to meet his teacher to discuss work for extra credit when Reuben burst from the room next door, eyes blazing and anger moving through his juddering body.  “Those pitiful fools how dare they!!” He rasps in quaking fury, sounding almost demonic. “I will show them! They will sincerely regret their attitude towards me.” His fists beating the air beside him.  
“Damn, what crawled up your ass!” Unfortunately, Sebastian said it out loud. And his eyes widened and his face jerked with an apologetic screen. The chubby boy turned his intense gaze on him, tight with malevolence and an expression of abject hate that caused unsettling feelings to crop up. The open rage appeared to want to destroy someone's soul.  
His close friend Joseph, gently placed a hand on his arm. “Come on, Sebastian let's head to class.”

Now, here he was in that crazy person’s room and staring into the abyss _. ‘What did you make down there?’_ He questions the angry-eyed Reuben in his head.  Did he really want to find out? If he was arrested for trespassing, he would invite his father’s fury. Julie seems to have read his mind. “If we don't do down there, then we will never know what Reuben is hiding, and if it is safe. He did say he would take revenge on the entire University because of what happened to his sister last year.” She reminds him in a low breath.  
Sebastian froze, as the memory and the implications sink in. The reserved student bearing piercing dark eyes and a stern whip of a mouth was dangerous. Something about him made his stomach clench apprehensively. “Fine, let's go” Sebastian concedes, staring hard at the door at the bottom of the stairs, beckoning them with its secrets.

 Disquiet stirs his blood that they shouldn't be doing this; there is something wrong with this plan. But the tug of his curiosity is harder. There is probably a law against maintaining secret rooms and hiding them on school property, he doubts the professors are aware of what Reuben is doing. “What are we going to do if we find out that Reuben has been using this place for illegal activities?” He voices one of his thoughts whirling in his head, but the question is more for himself, how would he ensure justice was served.  
“You think he's making drugs in there?” the corners of her mouth turns wryly as she descends the stairs with Sebastian trailing behind her.  
“Why else would he have a need for some secret lab? Hidden behind a moving bookcase- as if this is some mystery movie.” Sebastian surmises stopping in front of the door.  
“If this is mystery movie, then would that make Reuben - Frankenstein!” She guesses, and she could almost believe it was true. “Wrong genre!” He mutters, and ran his fingers across the door handle, feeling the biting cold seep into his skin. He takes the handle and tries to turn it, it is locked.

“Maybe he just wants his privacy,” she brings it up, a part of her is afraid that if they find nothing, suspicion will turn on her, and she wants to avoid scrutiny as far as possible. Even though it’s hard to ignore the glaring problem of her having a set of lock picks to which to circumvent locked doors.  

  
“The International Science Contest is next month; maybe he build this lab to protect his secret project.”  
“Right, is that why you're here - to find out his secret project?” Again, it was a guess, and a clear question rather than a statement, but it did nothing to alleviate the feeling of dread leaching into her bones and weighing on her. ‘ _Damn it, I don’t want to be suspended from school for cheating_.’ Juli purses her lips out of apprehension as she works with the thin piece of metal and hook to shift the mechanics of the lock of the door. He must not have had the time to replace this door with a more a sophisticated one, it fitted seamlessly into the wall. Probably part of a basement door. The lock opens with a click that sends a frisson of triumph through her.

“It’s done,” she straightens to her full height, and tucks the lock pick into her pocket. He stiffens, and grips the door handle hard. Judging from the sudden change in his breathing, she figured he was having misgivings too. “Did you hear that?” Cries out suddenly at the faint sound tickling her ears. “Yes,” Was his response, his breath stuck in his wind pipe before being ejected with a rush.  “Sounds like scratches-but from where?” Feeling fear and trepidation stir her blood with dark disquiet. Sebastian twisted the door handle and pushes the huge iron door open, “Whatever is behind here..it has to be an important enough!”

A loud creak vibrates in the air in the small space, and with their hearts beating in their ears, they move into the room. She sneaks a glance at her partner from the corner of her eye, but his expression is shrouded in darkness with light refracted onto his back.

The first thing the boy notes is the sharp odor of chemicals, a smell that reminds him eerily of the hospital. “Why does this place smell like a chemical factory? Sebastian voices both their inner questions. To Julie, he says, “See if you can find a light source!”

  
“Right,” nods before working the torch light across the walls. Finding the switch, she flips it up and light floods the room, reflected in the many shiny lab equipment. It resembles a proper laboratory with machinery on the work bench, models of the human body on one side and beakers and chemical equipment against the far wall. All meticulously arranged. “So we found Reuben’s real lab,” Sebastian observes, his gaze sweeping across the room, “There is something wrong with this place!”

“Why? I don’t feel anything..It’s just a normal lab,” Juli says it more for herself. If she is honest, she would admit that there was something terribly wrong with this hidden lab, with odd devices flashing colors and liquids scintillating darkly in their beakers. ‘ _Why would Reuben need a private secret lab? Was he paranoid and crazy or just paranoid?’_ Feet carry her to the nearest table where sheets of paper and other files are stacked on it. She was wary about touching them; what if her prints were left behind and it would lead to her discovery.

Even though Sebastian tried to hide it, he was casting sidelong glances at her, his gaze judgmental, with a touch of disapproval tainted her skin.  
‘ _She is willing to risk expulsion to find out Reuben’s secrets. Most likely she is here on the behest of a group, not likely one she is a leader_ of,’ Is Sebastian’s range of private thoughts, ‘ _I'm watching this girl and she obviously isn’t a science major or part of the competition. She has to be working for someone. The time is not now to interrogate her_.’

‘ _No, it was a foolish idea, Reuben wasn’t that smart..was he?_ ’ Her mind conjures a vision of the boy – him whose gaze always seemed to be alight with a buried mania, an odd smiling rictus and eyes that were too sunken in his head. Fear drenches her bones. “Look, there is another door here!” Sebastian calls out. A frisson of anxiety rushes through her spine and her body jumps at the sudden loud noise.

Her eyes return to examining the pages filled with numbers and sentences. Nothing seemingly important or what she could decipher from her perusal, though there were a lot of sketches on human anatomy. Particularly eye-catching was the models with pins stuck into vital organs, creating a disturbing sight. Spots on its plastic surface are marked with sticky paper. “Hey, you have to be here, see if you can enter this door!”

“Is it important,” asks without turning around _, ‘What was Reuben working on? What was this amazing discovery? Where could it be?’_ She ponders over the answers and still found her mind blank, and confused.

 

 


	2. Fighting the monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juli and Sebastian find Reuben's sinister secret.

 

“Are you serious?” There was clear incredulity in her tone, and her eyes widen with disbelief. ‘ _Ruben couldn't have been that good that he installed a retinal scan on school grounds without the teachers or principal hearing about it.’_ As if reading her mind, Sebastian said, “He won the Young Adults Science Fair for six years in a row. He is capable of anything!” Voice ominous that sent through them a wave of cold unease that ended in sharp slagmites down their backs. “You should know,” He continues, observing her with cool eyes as she peruses the messy desk. “- did the STEM for Woman club send you down here to spy on him!”

  
The statement caught her off guard, and startled, visible emotions of guilt, fear and shame gives her away, before she could cover it up with a nonchalant demeanor. “I don't know what you are talking about!” The lie would hopefully mitigate suspicion but it was a long shot as his sharp eyes had already caught a glimpse of her guilt. Sebastian’s eyes flicker with a thoughtful glimmer, the kind biology majors saved for their specimens. She squirms under his probing gaze, rattled by his deduction. “And why are you here?” Changing the subject swiftly, eyes critical and words too harsh to be needed. “I don't think you have a good enough reason to be here too!”

He raises an eyebrow and a humorless grin sweeps across his face. “I did mention I saw you here.. and came to investigate.” There was a slight reprimand in his tone that made her uneasy.

“You said that but it could be false,” She shows she is defensive too easily, and determined to protect her secrets, “Maybe you are here to steal answers for a test!” The accusation bears no ties to reality, it’s clear in the way her reaction is exaggerated and his is far too calm. He scoffs, projecting a look as if her intelligence is in question. “Knock it off! Sweetheart, you can try to turn this around, but we both know what's going to happen.”

  
Juli’s face registers mild annoyance at his flippant, disparaging attitude, acting as if he had all the evidence to condemn her. “What has happened -” the words are uttered slowly, with an undercurrent of anger, and her hands rest on her hip. A sliver of ice piercing into him from her stare. “-is that both of us are guilty of illegally entering Ruben’s private lab and rifling through his things.”

Emphasizing with a finger, she said coldly, “You are going to stop asking me about why I’m here, forget I was even here after we are done or - I can be truthful about you being down here snooping as well..messing around with Ruben’s stuff.”

  
The threat hung between them, thickening in the cool air, and straining the weak bonds of their companionship. Acknowledging her show of intimidation, he shrugs his shoulders and lets his eyes wander across the room. There is no point for him to continue this argument with her; they were technically both guilty of trespassing and invading Ruben’s private domain. “What do we do now?” Brushing his bangs from his forehead, where a shiny sheen of sweat gathered. Then, he received an annoyed sigh and snappish ‘I don’t know’ in response. Mentally, she runs through the names of the well-known geniuses in the women’s STEM club, wondering if any of them had the ability to unlock an eye scanner.

  
“Ruben is smart and rich,” Sebastian mummers to himself, running his fingers through his hair that Juli notices has a silky smooth texture and is thick in volume. “Why did he decide to waste all his resources on some secret lab?” His hands made a gesture that emphasized the incredibleness of the occasion and the absurdity of one boy.

Juli quietly agrees with him, it appears odd and kind of a step into insanity for her that Ruben would go through a whole lot of trouble to build a secret lab on school property. As if Sebastian has read her mind, he asks, “What do you suppose he uses this lab for? The University has more than enough facilities..” Relief floods through her system and her shoulders relax a little that she was no more under scrutiny. She is glad for the change in direction. In Sebastian’s view, the present mystery they are embroiled in is far more important than a secret spy from the Science Club. “I think we will find out whatever this lab is used for if we get behind this door!” His knuckles rap against the hard metallic door, hammering out a tune.

  
“And how do you suppose we get in there? You said you needed a retinal scan.” Squinting at the metal box, trying to understand what in hell could be the need for this level of high security. For some reason, her mind conjures an image of the brain she saw earlier - so life like in its details. Probably reflecting Ruben’s dedication to scientific excellence and highlighting his meticulous nature.

  
A bit of conversation whispers in her ear from a girl who she thinks her name was Candice, she recalls her talking to her partner about Reuben. “- I was supposed to designed the layout for the experiment-,” Visibly expressing her disgust at Ruben's behavior as her lab partner, “He is so bitchfully impatient. If you're his lab partner and you take a little too long on an experiment- he will stare at your back and make snide remarks. It is so frustrating to work with him!” There were many such comments like this from a whole lot of students, Ruben is not well liked. Her gaze moves across the room, she had an inkling of what she wanted to find, a certain object that would help her, and there was this itchy feeling it was somewhere here.

Ruben is far too impatient and restless to shove his eye into a retinal scan every few hours. He obviously has a backup plan for days when his eye is sort  of itchy or he has difficulty keeping them open.

  
Right there! Feet shorten the distance to the mannequin resting in the corner as her eyes caught the glistening eyeball nestled in the eye socket. Fingers easily pluck the eye, and it feels light on her palm.  
“I got it!” Calls to Sebastian over her shoulder, a dart of triumph through her body, “I found the key to the room.” Holding out the glass eyeball for her temporary partner to inspect, and he takes it from her to examine with a critical eye. “Hmm,” His brow furrows in thought, and a few strands escape to darken his forehead. “Let’s hope this works!” He says, as he moves to the door and raises the eyeball to the scanner. The loud beep startles them and the door slides open.

Juli takes a deep breath, trying to calm the rapid pounding of her heart. Sebastian was far calmer, his fingers curled into fists by his side. The room was shrouded in darkness, difficult to view any shapes or objects in the blanket thick blackness. The noises started, a low rough growl, accompanied by a wet gurgling sound. “What is that?” Sebastian whispers, as the sound is accompanied by the gnash of teeth, as if its woodshop and an idiot decided to throw some nails into the buzz saw. “Sebastian,” managed to choke out from her constricting throat, body shuddering under waves of growing panic. He steps into the shadows, while she is frozen in place at the entrance. Waves after wave of fear engulfs her, sweat breaks out on her skin.

“Sebastian.” This time her voice is softer and fear causes it to tremble slightly. The darkness moves, fragments of light flickering on its shape, reflected from the light source behind them. “Sebastian, what is that?” Chokes out again, but now it’s obvious her sneakers scratch on the floor as if ready to run.

Panting, heavy rasping breath comes forth, causing her to swallow. “Might be a dog?” Came the response from the prefect, but it was not entirely convincing. The boy refused to give into his fear though it was a swirling mass in the pit of his stomach.

  
Instead, his fingers explore the corners, keeping his eyes on the flickers of light that could either belong to an animal or maybe, some machine. There, his fingers catch the buttons and he gives them a hard push.

  
Light sweeps across the room and lit up all the secrets it contained. Juli’s mouth drops open in shock, eyes widen and her body tenses in preparation to run. Her first thought was that it was an animal. It would make sense, many scientists used them for experimentation, and Ruben would probably not be above using animals.

  
As the electrical impulses of her thoughts and vision met each other in her brain, it slowly becomes clear, that thing resembles a human. A recognizable human, with its brown hair, bushy eyebrows and thin lips. Despite the flaps of skin draping his face, his features are etched clearly. 

Sebastian is quicker on his comprehension and action. The vicious creature, with glaring fury and deformed hands ending in talons, turns its attention to him. His hands reach for a metal rod leaning against the wall, finding its heaviness and structure an appropriate defense against the creature. “What is that fucking thing?” Juli cries, voice quaking and rising on the verge of a scream of fear.

“That looks like-“ Sebastian narrows his eyes for a better look –and then his face is smothered by a shocked expression, a look of disbelief saturating the fear and horror. “Alphonse.” Frightened brown eyes meet his, and as the implications trickle into her brain, her terror only tightens every layer of skin. “Alphonse- from the University marching band..” Vocalizing the high-pitched terror laced with incredulity that is sending her emotions into a frenzy.

“He went missing-” Unable to take her eyes from the creature the former band member had become.

His body was muscular, thick veins in a dark shade blackened his pale flesh while odd wires strained across his chest to disappear under skin.

His pupils were full blown, animalistic, and their icy coldness radiated perpetual anger. But the biggest shock was his teeth, gone was the white shiny enamel, instead sharped to glistening needles that clicked when they met in the middle.

Bits of thick drool drip down the length of the needles into a large puddle at his knuckles that were attached to misshapen fingers , forced into ugly barbed talons, like those of a bird. 

“Who-who did this to him?” Juli whispers, and feels fear obstruct her words in her dry throat, as the monstrosity tilts his head to listen. “Most likely - Ruben!” Sebastian mutters hoarsely, doing his best to maintain a show of strength, he had an unpleasant feeling that the creature is raring to attack.

  
Julie grabs his arm and says urgently, “We need to leave now - and tell someone!” The monster raises his head, his red gaze on them, and from his twisted lips, weird screeching noise are emitted, which reverberate in the narrow confines of the room. It rises higher and higher till the sharp noise acts like it is scratching their ear drums. “What is he doing?” Juli tries to speak, but Sebastian has his hands clamped over his ears and his eyes tightly closed. It is with effort, Juli attempts to think rationally while panic threatens to send her on a dizzying tumult. It can probably taste her fear; palpably filling the air, yet no discernible action did the beast show. Fear begins leeching into their veins, frigid and heavy. It takes a monumental effort for both to remain standing in this room of horrors. Every nerve in her body screams at her to hightail it out of there, leave Sebastian behind. But morbid curiosity keeps her standing, rooted to the spot.

The creature’s long strained neck, she tries to process the oddity of his vision, is a flimsy cover of flesh, barely encapsulating the thin glass case containing the vocal chords, which are in turn attached to a strange misshapen mold of flesh, the color a bloodied red darker than the skin. "What the fuck is this thing? Some kind of bio organism!' Sebastian wonders, his stomach gives a sick lurch, _‘No human being should have to endure this.'_

And just as easily, anger ripples through him like burning whip, hot and ferocious, _‘Ruben is going to pay for this.’ T_ he creature’s eyes latch onto him, like a predator focusing on its prey, and for some reason, it chokes, emitting an odd gurgling sound. It  stops her feet moving backwards.

Adrenalin is pouring into her veins and her senses scream at her to run. The creatures raises its head, and bends backwards. Thick viscous fluid drips from a shiny teeth in a small puddle. His head suddenly pitches forward and projectile vomits some silvery dark sludge forward dousing them both.

"Goddammit," Sebastian cries, spitting some droplets from his mouth while fingers frantically brush the liquid from its skin. Its texture is slimy and odd, like a strange mixture of moldy bread and curdled milk.

Julie expresses equal disgust at her predicament, and she has to grab her stomach and clap her hand over her mouth to control the violent churning of her stomach that demands she retch out its contents. Lips clamp shut against the gagging, fearful to open her mouth least some of the liquid touches the insides. Sebastian swears a few more times, accompanied by a litany of curses against Ruben. What the hell was this vile odd substance that clings to their skin but has no recognizable smell. Its odor is not indicative of vomit or blood or other bodily fluids. Through adolescence, both Sebastian and Julie had their share of odd smells produced by their bodies, Sebastian more so as a growing boy.

The creature continued its blank observation of them, but its little beady eyes glow slightly like sharp prisms of ice. Then, the needles in his mouth shift and strike each other, producing a strange rhythmic sound as a light purr was produced from its manufactured throat.

'What is that thing doing?' Came the frightened unspoken thought, floating in their minds as they forced off thick streams of the goop from her forehead. The sound is hypnotic, and seems to call out to their imagination or was it actually changing the room around them. The sound bounced off the walls and seems to reverberate the air.

Her skin prickles, the sound whistles through her bones creating an agitation under her skin. Juli shuts her eyes, it takes a second to pull it out from her hair as the fear is heightened to a roaring terror. Despite not wanting too, the creature is in clear view, the misshapen entity that seems to resemble human less and less. Something burrows under her skin, an unsettling feeling that causes an uncomfortable itch to spread. Her eyes close briefly, but when they flutter open, her vision is filled with metal bars.

“What is this?” She cries out, but no sound is forced from her collapsing throat, as if terror frayed her vocal chords. Fingers wrap around the bars, testing its strength as panic thunders in her chest. ‘Yes,’ she confirms with growing horror that they are real, and she stares at them desperately. “What is this? Help?” A broken scream rips from her throat, and hot air billows through her mouth, tasting of bile. She's trapped in this tiny cage. No, it shouldn’t be possible. She couldn't be here again. Fear propels her to grip the iron bars tighter and she tries to yank them with all her strength. Desperation pumping through her veins, drenching her body in icy panic that burns with familiarity.

_‘No. No. No. No. It isn't possible.’_

A high-pitched wail rips from her lips and vibrates loudly, terrified and desperate. ' _There is no way that this could be real. No way.._ '

The door opens with a small scratching creak, causing violent shakes through her body.

"Hello, my lovely," A voice purrs. It is familiar, it sounds like..Sebastian. Except it is now silky and smooth, rich with a fake saccharine sweetness.

"I missed you, my pet!" she shrinks away from him, moving backwards until her back hits the bars of the jail. 'No, please,'

She suddenly feels her body is overtaken by the shakes of terror as the boy she thought was harmless, suddenly appears like a lusting monster. A sudden voice whispers, ‘It is not possible, he wouldn’t hurt me..’ The light shining from the door falls on his back, overshadowing him in a gold halo marked with inky blackness, so he appears a stone angel coming to life from the shadows.

“My precious.” He murmurs in a voice that runs across her skin like a razor. Something twists in her gut, akin to disgust as there is sickening expression that warps his handsome boyish features.

He appears to glide forward, a dark specter propelled by sinister purpose. “Leave me alone!” Hating the way how her comes out as pleading, sounding weak and pathetic, accompanied by pitiful whimpers. He looms over her, so close that the scent of his cologne pervades her nostrils, itching the inside of her flesh.

  
“Come now, dear. You are such a pretty lovely pet, and you want to be obedient to your master.” His vapid speech made her skin crawl, and her stomach twist into knots. His hands materialized on either side of her head and before she could move, his fingers wrap around her throat, chocking the air from her lungs. A cry escapes her lips as she struggles vainly against his strength, while hoarse laughter materialized out of his lips – scratching her face like claws. His brown eyes are wicked pools of evil and brimming with lust. 

She gags for a second, black dots dancing in her vision and is mildly grateful that she is spared from his twisted gaze. 

Perturbed, she bends her body backwards, struggling to drag herself from his grasp. Tears gather at the corner of her eyes, as she tries to resist his attempts to subjugate her.  He wants her to surrender mind and body, give in to terror.

She feels this weakness, like a a hunger, when was the last time she ate?

“I need you to love me like you promised, “ His whispers carry the edge of depravity, “I will take care of you.” There is some kind of promise behind his words, but no note of kindness but a selfish desire.  He had placed her in a small cage, but only to use her as a good pet.

Her head moves on its own accord, exactly the kind of rhythm he wants after he forces his tongue past her lips, into her mouth to savor her inner confines while his fingers hold tight to the back of her throat.

The tears are spilling down her cheeks fast enough, and every inch of her body feels scratchy and filthy. A kiss from Sebastian shouldn’t feel like sandpaper scraping against her skin.

Suddenly, she is drowned inside a memory, a life of hiding besides dumpsters with rats licking the soles of her feet. Living among garbage while the smell of piss clings in the air. The only warmth seeping through her skin was from her arms wrapped around body. Dangers lurk around corners from policeman brandishing lecherous grins to gang members with probing eyes that attack her seminude body.

  
This feeling of disgust of being in one's own skin returns,the feeling that was strong when she was younger and among the dregs of society.  She wants to burn it all off, as his salacious touch runs across her body. It is so apparent that the only response is to set yourself on fire so the disgusting vile skin melts into ash. There is this new sensation that blossoms on her neck, burrowing deeper into flesh and for a second, she can’t understand it. ‘What is happening? What is this thorny prickles? Like needles entering her neck. A sudden flare of pain drags her attention momentarily from drowning in misery and putrid disgust. The fingers pressed on her head tighten; forcing her bobbing movements to increase and demanding her mouth suck harder on his..no, she shuts her eyes, Sebastian’s wouldn’t do this. He wouldn’t force her to debase herself by shoving his organ between her lips.

The pain burns, from her neck to her head, moving in undulating waves. Something does whisper silently that her humiliation is not real. A small tiny voice that offers her some clarity. It hisses to her that she should fight harder... the enemy can be defeated. She dares open her eyes, and it is still Sebastian, looking down at her with a face full of vicious, evil intent. Suddenly, her demon is yanked from her, releasing her from this suffocating predicament. Sebastian stands still at the door for a prolonged second. Her heart hammers in her chest, as her eyes fly open.

'What did I go through?' The thought burns in her mind before she sees the creature before her. The creature is in close proximity to her that he towers over her, his spine bent and back arched, while his raised talons drip blood from their sharpened nails. Just a few seconds ago, the nails were buried deep into her neck. Absentmindedly, she touches the burns and winces at the burst of pain.

Her heart shatters in her ribs, broken by terror when she notices. Its sinewy muscles are locked in a pose, towering over her mere inches from her face. This nightmare that she was in a few seconds shoved into was cruel and sick, and the creature seemed to be responsible for it. For some reason he was feeding on her despair and basking in her weaknesses. Realization dawns that the figure standing before her is as lethal as a demon with an aura of evil.

'Those things-' her thoughts are muddled, drowning in a black haze. For a brief second, its features contort into a warped expression of anger. His beady eyes lustrous with malice in a perverted kind of lust, and his narrow lips are curved into his mouth, a vicious smirk that belongs on paintings of hellish demons. “We have to go!” Sebastian shouts into her ears, and breaks the spell the monster has her in. His hands grasp her arm and tugs.

She watches for a split second as the creature’s muscles pulsate like an expanding balloon. More liquid drips from its open maw and at his open exposed throat, she catches the blur of red, his vocal chords vibrating a sickening frenzy. The sound emitted from his cavernous throat is a low steady hum that pitched into a high screech that sounded like needles devoured by a chainsaw. Juli is already following Sebastian by then; they jump onto the stairs twice at a time.

Her quivering legs nearly topple her body onto the hard ground. Sebastian hoists her up and practically balances her against his muscles hardened from Soccer.  They are gripping each other's arms when they reach the top of the stairs. Sebastian reaches the door first,  grabs the handle and forces the door open, dragging Juli behind him. Together they slam it shut and push all their weight on the door, the effect jarring against his shoulder. Juli leans against the door, nerves shaken and breathing labored.  Sebastian looks bedraggled, eyes bright with panic and distress, disturbed lines etched into his face. “Juli” voice hoarse, blood trickles down his neck, and a few drops land from his ears onto his shirt. “What the fuck was that!!”

_Finished! Hoped you all liked my little idea. Please review if you do._


	3. Running from nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juli and Sebastian meet up with Joseph and try to find some safety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So third chapter, took me some time to edit. Hope you will appreciate with some great reviews. Thanks

Julie’s breathing is labored, her head spinning with a torrent of emotions unable to understand what she had just saw with her own eyes, that vision of a monstrosity that was seared into her brain. "I don’t know," she finally utters, shoulders slump and shaking in fear. Leaning his weight against the door, Sebastian can hear the roar of blood and static of terror. His heart races in his chest. “We need to get out of here and call the police,“ Voice thick with urgency and sounding frightened. Fingers dig into her arm, but she liked it there, it keeps her grounded to reality given her unsteady and terrifying journey into her past. She needs to feel connected while her mind carries the remnants of her dark nightmare, even if it is this guy who she just met.

“Will they believe us?” Julie questioned in a tremulous voice, “What are we going to say, ‘please send patrol cars to the school because there's a monster in the basement.’” Stumbling over her words as her whole body is inflicted by tremors. Glancing down, she catches the shine of the liquid clinging to her skin. A strange itchy sensation spreads across her arm, like it was seeping into her pores. Sebastian quickly scans the room and lands on a bucket of dirty water with a cloth floating on its surface. She falls to her knees by the side of the bucket and dips her hands into the murky dark liquid. She didn’t care about the state of the water, it couldn't be worse than what was clinging to her skin.

Sebastian watches Julie use the dirty cloth to furiously scrub the sticky liquid from her skin. It only took a split-second of contemplation but Sebastian was beside her next to her, splashing the filthy water on his hair, cheeks and neck, ignoring the rumble of disgust rolling in his belly. A loud thud from behind the door alerted them to the advancement of the monster. “He is behind that door..He is after us!” She said in a small quivering whisper, fingers shaking in the water.

They contain their breath in their lungs for a second. The incessant scratching started, claws rippling against metals, sending waves of icy shivers down their spine. “We need to leave now!” Juli hisses, hand tightening around his wrist. His brow furrow, and lips pursed tightly due to the overwhelming fear coiling his muscles.

Sebastian and Juli share a look, and together they ran to the door as the scratching and banging grows in intensity. Then a sudden thud, heavy and foreboding, like a weight being thrown into the metal door echoes in the laboratory. Startling them both, and causing a small scream from her throat.

“Let's move,” his sweaty fingers slide against her wet skin as they exit the secret laboratory. They rush down the hallway towards the main doors, feet trample the tile floor and their footfalls resound in the tense silence. They move left, then take a right, moving restlessly in the dark. Their only focus is escape, and Juli nearly screams in relief when the front doors enter their sight. Moonlight filters through the keyhole creating a patch on the floor.

They stop at the door, Sebastian releases a colorful curse on finding it locked.

“Don’t worry, I got this!” Juli reads his mind, and quickly removes the lock pick from her pocket. Kneeling down, she works on the lock, fingers using the two pins with nimble quickness. While she is busy, Sebastian keeps on eye on the corner, expecting the creature to come for them, claws ready to attack. The metal door looked very solid, and no way could the creature escape but from its sinewy muscles, the monster is deceptively stronger than it looked. The lock releases with a click, and together they burst into the chilly night, breathing in lungfuls of the sweet air. Relief bursts in their chest, and Sebastian and Juli’s eyes meet, both sharing a meaningful glance of gratitude that they had managed to escape the nightmare.

“Sebastian” A voice startles them, Juli jumps in panic. “Joseph” Sebastian recognized his friend easily, who steps from the shadows, a load of books under his arm.

She recognizes him as a friend of Sebastian, having seen them together often. She eyes him warily, and stays silent, allowing Sebastian to take the lead. Would he trust his friend? With what- what did they even see? She clasps her hands together, trying to will some strength into her body instead of allowing the fear to overwhelm her and render her listless. She  gives the open door behind Joseph regular surreptitious glances, fearful of the monster that could soon emerge from the darkness.

“Joseph – do you have your phone?” Sebastian reaches forward to grip his friend’s shoulders, holding himself steady and staring hard into his eyes. He doesn’t want to waste a second on explanation while there is time to call for help. There is no telling how soon the monster would burst through the door, bringing with it all its nightmarish hell. Speaking of hell, fingers touch her forehead, the memories slowly trickle into her brain, clearing up the numbness to a clarity that prompts a sickness to wash over her. ‘What the fuck was that?’

That memory of Sebastian as a pervert who sexually assaulted her-it felt so real.

Joseph hands over his phone, his expression a mix of confusion and worry. Even in the dim light, Juli can make out the concern knotting his pale brow and the curious brightness of his eyes searching for answers in Sebastian’s face. She could pick up on the respect and trust they both shared, the way Sebastian so easily turned to him for support and is willing to trust him. Sebastian grips the phone in his hand and jams in the number for the police station. As soon as someone answers, he desperately yells, “Send help to the Krimson Academy, there is..a murderer on the premises. He attacked two students.” Juli releases the heavy anxious-laden sigh she had contained in her constricted chest. She is mildly worried over his decision to not reveal too much of the actual events, especially since they basically came across a missing person. He reduces the volume of his tone to even and calm probably at the behest of the operator, convincing her with an odd calmness of the emergency even as his eyes swirl with terror.

“Yes..we found this room, an underground lab..and there was this person who tried to kills us. We will be waiting.”

He lowers the phone, and transmits a look of bravery for Juli’s benefit and she displays her appreciation by managing a small smile. Joseph touches his arm, “Sebastian, are you serious?” He inquires with a thread of skepticism.

“Yes,” Sebastian mutters darkly, running his fingers through his dark hair, “There is a murderer in the school.”

After the statement, he gives the open door a glance of fear, apprehension beating through his veins made his body jittery while his lips slip into a nervous twitch. “Yeah, maybe-the thing we saw-” Sebastian gives her a side eye of trepidation to make sure she is comfortable with revealing the details of their twisted encounter, when there wasn’t a sign of protest, he continues.

“We were attacked by some insane creature in there-” He gestures with his head towards the school, “We think its Trevor..one of the missing kids from the marching band –the one who disappeared.”

“You mean Trevor and the others have been here the whole time.” Joseph sounds dubious, pushing his glasses up his nose with his ring and middle fingers. “That is impossible..the cops searched the entire academy for them.”

Shaking his head in disbelief, Joseph turns to Juli, “Are you sure you saw Trevor?” She swallows, wrapping her arms around her body, and tries to get rid of this cold numbness that started again as thoughts of the foul monster pervade the mind. But there is no mistaking the blonde hair and blue eyes as well as the scar on his shoulder from when he was nicked by the bow of his violin. Though he is nothing more than a shell of a boy, there were parts of Trevor that persisted, or was it her imagination. Sebastian recalls the recitals he attended, where he watched him play on the school orchestra , fingers moving with skill, playing the bow against the strings of the violin. He was one of the talented ones. Now a shudder ripples through his body thinking of the boy, where once he admired his dexterity, he is horrified by the monstrosity and what he could do with his hands.

From the appearance of the creature, It is as if Ruben had taken him apart piece by piece before haphazardly fitting him together into some kind of durable creature. ”We are sure,” Sebastian insisted, shifting his weight from one foot to the next, eager to hide.

“He couldn’t be mistaken for anyone else,” The Italian rubs his forehead, and brushes away the sweat. “We found him in a secret hideout under Reuben’s lab. He was different, crazy with these big claws and half his flesh taken off," Sebastian mimics claws with his hands and immediately discomfort sets in.

"He attacked us..I think he would have killed us…or captured us for Ruben’s experiments. ” The Asian’s eyes widened in disbelief, his lips clearly trying to form the words.

“Why would Ruben do this?” He asked, clutching his books tighter. “Because he is a psycho..” Juli snaps, feeling smothered by the mounting fear. There hasn’t been a sound from the door, so maybe the creature hadn’t escaped but, she expected him to burst from the shadows. Every scrap of the leaves and the whistle of the wind troubles her.

“You’re not making any sense,” Joseph sounds far too calm given the circumstances, “You sure you didn't imagine it.” Narrowing his eyes.

“I saw the same thing.” Juli interrupts, giving him a hard stare, pushing her fingers into her elbows, finding comfort in the scrape of nails against bone.

 “It is all fucking true!” She grabs Sebastian’s arm in a death-like grip, “We need to find a place to hide-”

A sudden sound behind them, they are blinded by the glare of a flashlight. Sebastian and Juli had their hearts thud against their chests,panic flooding through their systems. They relaxed on noticing that it was the sound of the security guard coming towards them.

“What's going on with you kids? What are you doing out so late?” Chris Winchester, a stocky build 34 year old, with dark hair and brown eyes, is giving them a hard once over.

“I just received a call that someone was attacked on the premises,” He lowers the light to the ground. “What is going on? Who is in trouble?” Her skin breaks out in cold sweat and Sebastians knees go weak, and muscles to tighten, ready to break into a run.   

They felt the unspoken compulsion to share their miserable experiences, but the fleeting twisted images of Trevor and odd misshapen memories that plagued their minds, they would have to explain it. Honestly, none of them had confidence in the guy that was supposed to protect them . The light is excessively bright like in the room, almost hurting, causing them to feel disturbed and unsettled. 

Sebastian is about to answer when a large crash echoes from inside the school. Juli and Sebastian freeze, terror curdling their blood while her body is stricken by uncontrollable shakes.

“What was that?” Chris snaps to the source, shinning his light at the entrance.

Juli knows she should say something, warn him about a monster but the words are sludge on her tongue. Sebastian mutters something gruffly under his breath before he forces himself to talk about the monster though he has difficulty finding the words. However, there is no time, Chris wastes no time in advancing towards the noise.

“Stay here,” The guard calls over his should in a hushed whisper, “I will find out what is going on.”

“Wait you shouldn't go there alone..there is something in there” Sebastian calls out, stepping forward, looking meaningfully into the man’s eyes, “It's too dangerous.”

“Sebastian thinks there is a horrible murderer in there . Joseph raises his voice, his eyes bright and alert. Juli's lips flutter, eager to add a sentence but she abruptly forces them down. What could she even add..

The security guard pulled out a taser, mouth compressed into a thin line. "What did you see?" Speaking directly to Sebastian.

"A guy attacked us while we were in Ruben's lab-" He said stiffly, looking at JulI from the corner of his eye.

"He came after us waving an axe. We ran away and left him," Licking his lips to dispel the dryness in his mouth.  Chris fixes him with a long hard stare, judging him with a cool stare. "You kids are not making stupid jokes, right?"

Annoyance crackles inside Sebastian, a frown deepens and darkens his features.  "Look at us, do we fucking look like we are joking?" He snaps irately, folding his arms across his chest. Sebastian is angry, frustrated and fear carves a hole in the pit of his stomach. 

Every part of his body contains a sparkling nerve ending that flickers at regular intervals. He suddenly yearned for the warm comfort of his room and the comforting voice of his mother. As soon as the thought entered his head, cold sweat drenches his skin. The hammering of his heart, the cold clammy touch of death, and the specter of death lurking at the edge of his mind. Did she experience all of it. 

He shuts down the thought before it can go any further. 'No, don't think about her now.' He begs the darker part of his mind.

"We are not lying," Juli cut in with a harsh tone, "There really is someone inside there!  and she pointed into the direction of the school. His head turns, this expression grim. He points to the other building next to the main school. "Go to the senior girls Vice Principal's office," He orders. Then, he reaches into his pocket for the set of keys and hands it to Sebastian, who takes it with a small grateful "Thank You".

He moved the light to the door. "I will wait for the police, you students go there and wait. Be safe, okay."

"Come on, Joseph" Sebastian puts his hand on his friend's arm and gestures to Juli. He leads them away down the path to the Vice Principal's office. He takes one last look at the security guard who waves them onwards with a tight smile, his expression determined.

Their feet move swiftly across the footpath, the gravel crunching under their sneakers. All are eager to find safety. Joseph silently mulls over what Sebastian had confided in him, while the boy is tormented by his nightmares. Juli is worst off with odd shivers enveloping her body, a rapid pulse that has her on edge.

They finally arrive at the destination, and Sebastian unlocks the door. They walk in past the hallway until they stand before the office. Once inside they make themselves comfortable on the leather couch.  It was a trying and difficult to endure journey for every whisper of the wind or the odd sparrow ignited a panic inside them. Threatening to send them into a spiral of fear. It wasn't until they were surrounded by four walls in a somewhat familiar setting that their nerves were set at ease and they could breath a little easier. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, got this done, and pretty proud of this. I hope you all like it, and please review to help me feel good about myself.


	4. The monster comes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Juli and Sebastian relive some of their bad memories, and face a beast they have never seen before.

"Think we'll be safe here," Sebastian's voice breaks the uncomfortable silence that they have all settled into after a few seconds have passed. "I don't know," Julie responds softly, her eyes downcast. She has to exert some effort to keep the trembling of her body down to a minimum. The unspoken fear looms in the room, thickening the air but neither comment on it.

"What did you see down there?" Joseph decides to ask again because the first tale remains a muddled mess in his head. He pushes his glasses up his nose, "What you’ve said..I can't believe it. I heard what you said but I can't believe such a thing was possible in the school. How come the teachers didn't know about it?" His voice is calm but a shrill undercurrent threatens to spill his thoughts into pandemonium. Juli doesn't care, she is currently struggling to ward off the encroaching nightmares. Finding the girl inconsolable, it falls on Sebastian to offer some reasoning to their plight, regardless of how insane he might sound. "The monster was Trevor, he was changed into some creature," Sebastian mutters, raking his hand through his wet, dark curls. Then his hand drops to lap, he feels slightly responsible when Joseph's eyes cloud over, showing confusion and varying degree of emotion as he's visibly struggling to understand the words coming from his friend's mouth.

Sebastian continues without further preamble, "It looked like Ruben fattened him up then ripped off his skin to create some outer shell.. There were these wires buried under his skin."

Unconsciously, Sebastian's fingers begin drawing imaginary pictures across the principal's chestnut desk. He recalls dense hands wrapped around his throat and squeezing just enough to hurt, Julie silently watches his movements as the shadows of the experience wrap around him. Her teeth snag at the bottom of her lip and chew thoughtfully. “Ruben ripped out the guy’s throat and replaced it with some kind of glass thing. No, I think it was a box and there were these metallic things inside.” Fingers suddenly grab a pen from the stationary box and examines it thoughtfully, watching the moonlight dance off its shiny surface.

“His fingers were cut into claws, these sharpened nails like a lion..but longer, and when he came close to you..he sort of tried to bury them under your skin..as deep as they could go.” Touching his forehead, eyes then fall at his hand with a sudden snap of cold fear. He finds minute droplets of blood dotting his fingers. Julie imitates the motion and her blood freezes, when she feels a sudden flare of pain through her skull.

“But why would Ruben go do all of this?” his gaze probing Sebastian for credible answers before they shift to Julie to deliver an empathetic look. Sebastian clenches his fist in frustration despite the tiredness weighting down his muscles. There was no reason for such madness and he was forced to admit that “I have no idea. There was always a little something odd about him, but I think what happened to his sister finally pushed him to become Dr. Frankenstein.” When Juli heard that, she raised her eyes, a sudden buzzing in her ears and her throat went dry.

  
Joseph releases a small sigh and removes his glasses, slowly rubbing his eyes with his fingers. “What are we going to tell the police when they get here?” He asks aloud in a stilted tone. “Yeah, I'm wondering about that too!” Juli speaks in a tired voice that was strained by residual fear and unease.  
“We can just be honest ?” Sebastian suggests, placing special emphasis on the words, “We tell them everything and show them the lab.”

  
“What if they don't believe you?” Joseph considers, tugging at his collar nervously. “They will,” Sebastian insists firmly, his jaw clenches, anger flaring on his face, “After what happened I'm not going to let him get away with this. The thing spread some crap on me and the next thing I know I am having these nightmares." Her head jerks, but she didn't say anything or offer to share. The last thing she wants is for them to know about her past. So she keeps her eyes on Sebastian and waits for him to reveal further details. “What kind of nightmare?” Joseph asks, noting how the girl stiffens at the mention, but is clearly unwilling to share, evident from the way she swallows. And the disgusted look on Sebastian’s face as if he had a bitter taste on his tongue. His friend is also visibly disturbed, his body tense, his shoulder burdened by his nightmares, leaning over the desk, his eyes vacant and shrouded while his breathing is measured. They both looked like hell, as if the somebody beat them up, dragged them across hot coals kicking and screaming before shoving them back in their own lives to stand before him.

  
“You can’t imagine it, Joseph. It is so awful. I never thought I would ever wake up..It was a living nightmare. I don’t know how I did it, but if I hadn’t, I think it would we would have been stuck in this sick dream land and killed.” His voice cracks and is drenched in pain and fear.

  
The last time Joseph had seen Sebastian in such a state, it was because of his sister. His eyes are hollowed with dark spots and his skin is sickly tainted with shimmering beads of sweat. The way his spine is bent, he appears to need a desk for support like an old man. Even Juli, the girl he had captured glimpses of around school, looked terrrible, hugging her body as if she might take flight in an instance while eyes are nearly luminous with fading tears.

  
“I think you should both try and get some sleep here,” he whispered finally, expressing concern and sympathy. Juli shifts to his direction and her eyes widen. He notices the trembling spreading through her hands as if the very idea is frightening to her. “I don't think that's a good idea.” Sebastian said gravelly, but his face telegraphed gratitude for his show of concern.

  
“You have been through a terrible ordeal, and you can’t function like this!” Joseph inwardly winced at the broken chord that was uncomfortably familiar. The last time he had been compelled into a similar argument with Sebastian and received such a dismissive answer was three summers ago, when he asking him if he wanted to go to a movie a few months after the death of his sister.

  
“Both of you look like hell!” Joseph insists, “Just lay your heads down and close your eyes for a few minutes. I'll stay awake and keep watch. When the police arrive, I will awaken you both.”

  
Making his voice sound soothing and positive to convince them to relax cause they clearly needed it. He even affected an uplifting smile. Looksare exchanged between them as they silently communicate their fears. Sebastian notes Juli’s bedraggled appearance while she observes that the boy has aged considerably in the last few hours. They agree though it was difficult, they couldn’t help but give in to the heaviness of exhaustion that weighs on every part of their body since the start of the terrible adventure.

  
Sebastian takes the desk; Juli suffices with the sofa which leaves the chair for Joseph. Their eyes flutter shut as sleep grips them and drags them off into the restless unknown. It is not too long before the fragments of The nightmare began to surface and slowly permeates into their dream like a slow poison. Juli sees her body huddled in the corner of the dumpster, the smell clinging to her, but she had gotten used to it. Years of making due in whatever spot on the street she could manage when the homeless shelters were full, had given her a resilience against the elements. The bitter cold bites into her bones, through the thin cardboard box she was nestled in.

  
Hands gentle press into the warm body of the stray cat curled against her stomach. Purrs of delight are released from her tiny maw, the vibrations passing its body, and sending a wave of comfort to hers, a foreign feeling that felt as such every time it happened. It was strange that the memory of the rancid scent of garbage, the chill of the night and the scratchy , hard surface of a cardboard encapsulating her would permeate her dreams today of all days. Suddenly a bright light shines on the box, the light rays slightly burn. With a mixture of fear and trepidation, she peeks out of the cardboard box, and sees past the prickles of discomfort a shadow illuminated by the headlamps of a car. It starts, a low thrum of fear. His face is shadowed, but her flesh exploded in goosebumps, instantly recognizing the stature of the figure before her.

  
“ Juli, my pet where are you ?” The call rang out, the sick malice carefully buried. “Where are you? The girl trembles in the narrow space as the singsong quality hits are like slap to the face.

  
There is no hesitation she knows that the sweetened voice calling for her is filled with nothing but ill intent. So she pushes her legs towards the opening and prepares to run for her dear life. The cat darts to stand beside her feet and releases a string of meows crying for attention.

“Juli,” he calls out to her again, his voice has a lilting quality so she will mistake it for fondness. She spares a brief glance at the car before taking comfort in the darkness of the box. A blackness, the walls bleed an oily blackness that gleams a sickening promise of despair and torment. She knows instinctively what will happen if the black touches her skin, it will taint her, just as if the man catches up with her. He wants to corrupt her, wrap his cold hands around her neck and force horrors upon her neglected body.

"Juliiiieeee, Sweetheart," She covers her ears desperately, her emotions in turmoil. The sound sprays like salt on an open pulsating wound. "Please...no!" Begs as she chokes on her tears, crying helplessly is all she has ever been able to do.

Sebastian adjusts his seat at the dinner table, and folds the napkin like he had been taught. His mother's blue eyes twinkle in silent approval. "Shall we say grace," A kind smile directed at everyone around the table.

He thinks it is odd, his mother is dolled up for a family dinner, but then a light bulb flashes in his eyes and realization rushes through his brain.  He is at the family dinner organized for the photographer and journalist, who were interested in discussing his father’s reelection.

The man is seated on his father’s right, a pencil between his fingers, his eyes studying the senator with casual interest.  Their voices are low, or far, it’s difficult to make out the words for they are muffled, seemingly coming from the abyss. His mother has a painted smile, bright red lipstick adding color to pink while vibrant flower patterns in shimmery red and blue on her dress cling to her small frame.  A perfect senator’s wife. 

Her mouth moves, but the words are not for him. Small hands pick up the salt shaker and pass it over to her. Lowering his gaze, he catches sparkling dark eyes and a pretty mouth stretched to the most sweetest smile he has ever seen. Emotion burns hot in his eyes, but he doesn’t understand why this dream invokes the tremors of pain. Raising his hand, he pats her on the head, and watches as giggles fall from her happy smile.  “You ate all your peas.” “Yes, they were nice. I pretended they were candy.” Was the reply, little hands smooth her bright pink skirt. “Sebastian.” It takes him a moment for his father to gain his attention. “I was just telling Barry here about your work with the Italian youth organization.” “Yes,” He says automatically, having memorized his speech, “I really love working with other Italian youth – it’s great. We help serve the community-”

 “I am very proud of my son..we feel that the Italian and Latino community is an important facet of Krimson..”

"Yes, what about the white community? I am half white.’ He mutters to himself. And then he did the unforgivable thing, his lips part open into an unwilling yawn, drawing the reporter’s eyes to him. He thought a flash went off as well.  “Tired, Sebastian- not getting enough sleep.” It is hard to tell if the reporter is being kind or vicious, it is impossible to gauge from his expression

 “He is working very hard on getting into Krimson Elite Academy- they have an amazing business program. Sebastian is very excited to go. Build up his character to one day take over the family business.” His father, Alessandro answered for him, beaming with pride for the benefit of the reporter. “Yes, gonna spend my time behind a desk and tell others what to do because I was born into this family.” And inwardly winced when the words come out dry, and sardonic, edged with a sullen and bitter quality. Immediately, all eyes latch onto him, boring right through him as if he was made of paper.

Thankfully, the reporter had to get up to answer a phone call.  “What’s wrong with you?” His father  hisses, mimicking the threatening sound of a viper. “Why must you ruin this evening?” His Mother, Dahlia, shakes her head sadly at him.  “I am not..It was an accident.” He sputters, struggling to make up an excuse. 

"Are you sure ?"  His father's eyes burn like a fire had been ignited. 

Swallowing hard, his eyes fall on Lily and he has to cut off a scream. Her hair is ratty and caked with dirt and mud. Beautiful eyes are sunken into their sockets so twin black holes hold him in contempt. Skin is peeling, a few strips fell on the soup with a sick plop. "Lily," Sebastian whimpers, raising his eyes to his parents hoping for some comfort, some protection.  But their eyes are practically on fire with rage, scorching with accusation as they questioned him in cold frigid disembodied tones. Why couldn't you be a better son.? Why were you so careless.

"It wasn't my fault," he tried to explain, squirming under the weight of their harsh stares. "Yes,  it was..big brother." Lily sighs mournfully, the flesh falling off in chunks till the bone underneath glistens. The flesh in her throat is caved in and suddenly, he finds it difficult to breathe. He tastes a mixture of bile and iron in his mouth. "It's your fault," they shriek in unison.  Their words hollow and deadened by grief.  "Sebastian..Sebastian..Sebastian,"  A cold clammy hand grips his wrist and shakes.  He breaks free from the darkness of his dream with a gasp, the wind knocked from his lungs.

Joseph stands over him, round peepers full of concern.  "Sebastian, are you alright?".

He feels a stab of guilt and winces at the frightened worry clear on his friend's face.  His eyes fall to the puddle of drool on his desk and wipes away the wetness from his mouth with the back of his hand. His throat parched. He had to take a deep breath to calm the riotous rhythm of his heart. But it wasn't enough to dislodge the heaviness pressed against his chest. 

"Had a bad dream?"  Joseph asked , concern knotting his brow and his empathetic look deepens on receiving Sebastian's nod. "Was it about the creature?" Joseph ventured a guess. 

 "No." raising a hand to let his fingers move through his hair.  Anger and frustration steadily pours into his blood to the timing of the beats of his heart. For a second, he is hopeful that the entire dream is a side-effect of his anti-depression medication, none of it felt real even after he went through it the first time in Ruben's lab.  The image of the creature with its claws wrapped around his neck nails digging into his skin, the substance dripping from its teeth onto his skin. The memory burns, causing bile to churn in the back of his throat and acid to eat away at his gullet. 'Lily, why did I think of her?' Sebastian asks himself as he scrubs his face with the heel of his hand. "It's going to be all right,"  Joseph assures him, rubbing his friend's shoulder and gave him a squeeze before falling silent. 

Sweat drips down his brow,  his eyes flicker over to Julie and finds her wearing a perturbed countenance as if she had endured another horror.  Her eyes contain a deadened quality and her intake of breath is deep and heavy.  He manages to catch her gaze, "Bad dreams?"

Startled, she relaxes her tense posture to respond, "Mostly, I usually have some bad dreams because-" She cuts herself off, " This was unusually violent ! Must be a full moon or something." Tries to conjure a laugh, fails and instead sounds like a hacking cough. 

"Mr. Redfield is back. He is waiting outside." Joseph speaks up. Sebastian eyes snap to the clock on his wrist finding the time is 2:50, noting that 2 hours had passed since they first entered the office.  "It's pretty late, what took him so long?" Sebastian wonders aloud. 

 "Probably the police," Joseph guessed, "He said they arrived late and wanted to take his statement and look around the premises." Relaying the message,  but his expression is troubled, clearly mulling over their state of despair and thinking up the most deranged scenarios. 

Sebastian grunts under his breath, and mutters something angry, these damn dreams are not only abusing him but affecting Joseph as well. Julie looked irate for a second, "Come on," She snaps, "Don't leave him waiting. We need to get out here." 

Joseph walks over to the door.  "Mr. Redfield. you can come in." Fingers wrap around the handle while his other hand turns the key.  

"That is good. Let me in quickly," The man calls out from behind the door.

Sebastian can't explain it, but there is something off in his voice and it curdles his blood with dark disquiet.  Maybe it is the stilted way he speaks, or the coldness in his tone, bordering on empty. Rushing forward, he places his weight on the door, he whispers urgently, "Joseph, Don't let him in." "What? she asks, looking confused and halting his movement. 

Suddenly, Joseph's phone played the Japanese song that he liked, breaking the tense silence.  He is momentarily stunned, before fingers pressed the answer button.

First there is static ,a sharp cackle that is shrill, then Ruben's voice echoes in a cold whisper.  "Kill. Kill for me." His disembodied sneer carrying through the speaker. "You're mine. Do for me as I desire."

"What is this fucking thing?" Juli stares at the phone in open-mouthed horror and face full of dismay. Sebastian and Joseph contain their breath into their lungs hoping to offset the sudden movement in his brain, like a snake crawling around the cerebellum, imaginary fangs sinking into the precious part of the brain. "You don't think the thing got him -Mr.Winchester," Sebastian gestures towards the door as Joseph hurriedly switched off the phone. 

"Let me in," Chris demands from behind the door in a sort of monotone, as he jingles the handle and shoves his shoulder against the wood. Juli immediately rushes to stand behind Sebastian, struggling to keep her rising panic under control. "Where are the police?" She hisses, you called them ages ago!" "They might have been killed.." Sebastian thought grimly, thinking back to every horror movie he ever saw,  "The police would have helped us by now.  If they are not here-"

A worried frown rises on his face as if his eyes stay fixed to the shuddering door, "Winchester has been infected, we heard Ruben's voice on the phone." "How-w is that even possible?" A quaver in Julie's voice, it all seemed so serene, like they are trapped in some obscene nightmare that doesn't make any sense. 

 "Let me in!" Chris yells, frustration and anger seeping into his voice, "Let me do-help you..yes..Let me help you!!" The children remain silent, frozen in fear and uncertainty.  'We are not letting you in!" Joseph snaps, grabbing the chair to force it against the door to block it, "You need to come back with the police." 

Juli caught Sebastian's eyes, and he noticed her face is tight with fear. Sebastian wanted to give her some encouraging words, but he finds himself difficult to find some. "We need to get out of here!" Calling for action is the best he can do, they needed to keep themselves safe. "Let's try to get out through the window!"

 Juli and Joseph both ran to the window while Sebastian leaned his weight against the door. "Mr. Winchester, We want to trust you but we are worried you might be..contaminated." Doing his best to stall for time. "I only want to save you kids and be a hero," His voice had taken on a serpentine quality that is oily and fake in its supposed earnestness. And the boy cringes cause the words are too jarring.

 Meanwhile,  Julie and Joseph pull back the curtains, simultaneously both release blood-curdling screams.

Trevor's sinewy body is pressed against the window pane and his nails make clicking sounds as they tap on the glass. "What is that?" Joseph cries, throwing himself backward. Juli is more mentally prepared to deal with the surprise attack. She grabs the Principal's chair and stands behind it, using it as a defense.

 Joseph is stunned into silence, "What is that thing?" He whispers in horror into Juli's ear. From behind the door, Mr. Winchestor calls in sick satisfaction, "Let me in..Master...I want to help you kill them all!" At those words, Sebastian felt his stomach drop with a heavy thud. 

 

 


End file.
